SW: TOR - Galactic Starfighter Expansion

AUSTIN, Texas – Oct. 8, 2013 – Join the battle and customize the ultimate starship to become a legendary Starfighter pilot in the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ universe! Today, BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), and LucasArts announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic is adding Player-vs-Player (PvP) combat in the Free-to-Play Digital Expansion: Galactic Starfighter. With a variety of unique starships, a wide set of customization and upgrade options, multiple battle zones and gameplay modes, Galactic Starfighter brings the thrill of epic 12v12 space battles to Star Wars: The Old Republic for the first time.

Active Star Wars: The Old Republic subscribers will be offered Early Access starting December 3 and Preferred Status Players* on January 14. Galactic Starfighter will be offered as a Free-to-Play Digital Expansion available to the public beginning on February 4. Each group will also receive special in-game items as part of this Early Access opportunity (detailed below). As a special benefit, active subscribers as of November 1 will receive an exclusive Galactic Starfighter early Gunship unlock and custom Gunship paint jobs.**

“Our goal with Star Wars: The Old Republic has always been to immerse players into their own Star Wars adventure and huge space battles are a vital part of fulfilling that fantasy,” said Jeff Hickman, General Manager of BioWare Austin. “Galactic Starfighter will be a deep experience that will continue to grow over time. We can’t wait for both our current and new players to get their hands on it soon.”

Players who subscribe to Star Wars: The Old Republic by November 1 will receive an exclusive Galactic Starfighter early Gunship unlock and custom Gunship paint jobs. Starting December 3, subscribers are eligible to receive special reward items along with the Early Access opportunity.

But now we know why the Cartel Market pilot armor is being withdrawn around the 15th …

— “ Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.“ (E.F.Schumacher, Economist, Source)

Well yea, compared to the space combat thing (the railroad shooting) they had and expanded upon it is a great step ahead. I mean, here at least you can fly wherever you want, that's what space is about, isn't it?

But I agree with all of you, PvP only sounds boring, and a proper Star Wars MMO should have a proper space exploration mode.